Von Smith

OK, which three singers advance into the Top 12 tonight? Several contestants made at least somewhat convincing arguments, but Lil Rounds may have been the only one who really sealed the deal.

Rounds closed out the show with a powerful take on Mary J. Blige’s “Be Without You” that Simon called “brilliant.”

“I think you have great, great prospects in this competition,” Mr. Cowell went on to rave.

Rounds was one of the few females to stand out on a night dominated by the guys. Scott MacIntyre, the blind contestant from Arizona, has emerged as a crowd favorite and probably will make it through on the strength of a solid performance of Bruce Hornsby’s “Mandolin Rain.”

The third spot, however, could be up for grabs between Jorge Nuñez, Ju’Not Joyner and Von Smith. The latter opened the show with a rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “You’re All I Need to Get By” and drew immediate comparisions to Clay Aiken. A compliment or a curse? You decide.

Tell us, also, who you think will be going on to the next round. Will it be Lil Rounds and a pair of guys? Or will someone else break in there — like, say, Felicia Barton or Napa Valley’s Kristen McNamara?